1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to water conservation, particularly in the capture and reuse of gray water.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Water reclamation devices are well known. Many capture gray water generated from sinks, showers, and the like, for reuse in toilets and outside use. Here is a fair representation of the state of the art, in chronological order:
SYSTEM OF CONSERVING WATER IN A BUILDING, Houghton U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,536, issued May 15, 1990, herein incorporated by reference, is a manually operated system to conserve cold water that is normally wasted while a user is waiting for hot water to come out. This water is stored for use by a toilet. This is technically not a "gray" water conservation system, as the water reused never passed through a drain.
GRATE AND WATER RECOVERY SYSTEM, Kaump U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,436, issued Sep. 14, 1982, herein incorporated by reference, details a self-cleaning grate and a storage tank that automatically fills either with gray water or with fresh water, if gray water is not available. Water is pumped on demand from the tank for use by a toilet.
WATER RECYCLING WITH SOLIDS AND FOAM REMOVAL, Toms U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,597, issued Apr. 15, 1980, herein incorporated by reference, is a water economizing system for new or existing buildings where gray water is captured, filtered, treated, and stored for use by toilets.
WATER REUSE SYSTEM, McCormick U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,218, issued Jul. 24, 1979, herein incorporated by reference, shows how gray water may be automatically diverted by valves to a storage tank for toilet use. If the tank is full, the valves conduct gray water to the sewer. If the tank is empty but demanded, fresh water is provided. A pressure tank is included to provide constant pressure in reuse without overtaxing the pump.
APPARATUS AND ARRANGEMENT FOR CONSERVING WATER FOR TOILET FLUSHING, Aleman U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,144, issued June 21, 1977, herein incorporated by reference, shows a system where all gray water from a sink is filtered and diverted to a toilet tank for reuse. Overflow is handled by conventional overflow means within the toilet tank.
WATER CIRCULATION SYSTEM, Reid U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,825, issued Jul. 27, 1971, herein incorporated by reference, discloses a system for use in a camper or boat, where a water reservoir supplies a shower and a sink, which drain into a collecting tank that supplies a toilet. The toilet drains into a holding tank.
WATER RE-USE SYSTEM, U.S. Pat. No. 3,318,449, issued May 9, 1967 to Jennings et al. ("Jennings"), herein incorporated by reference, describes gray water entering a filter vessel which drains into a storage tank. Water is automatically pumped on demand from the storage tank to a toilet. When there is not enough gray water, fresh water is provided. The storage tank has an overflow for the event of too much gray water.
METHOD AND MEANS FOR OPERATING A TOILET IN A FALLOUT SHELTER, U.S. Pat. No. 3,183,525, issued May 18, 1965 to O'Brien et al. ("O'Brien"), herein incorporated by reference, discloses fresh water provided from a storage tank to a shower and sink. The shower, sink, and a urinal drain to a second tank, which supplies a toilet.
WATER CONSERVATION SYSTEM, Call U.S. Pat. No 3,112,497, issued Dec. 3, 1963, herein incorporated by reference, shows gray water received by a receiver tank. When the receiver tank is full, the gray water is automatically pumped to a storage tank. The storage tank has an overflow to the sewer, and a fresh water supply if not enough gray water is available. Gray water is then pumped on demand from the storage tank to a toilet. The toilet also has a fresh water supply if the gray water is not sufficient.
None of the systems above are easily retrofittable--that is, none can be easily adapted to an existing plumbing system without extensive modification.
Modularity is another highly desirable feature, not addressed in the cited art. If modularity were included, you could easily convert an existing plumbing system, or expand an already converted system, regardless of its configuration or size, by using standard modules. For example, if more gray water storage capacity were needed, you could just get another (modular) tank and insert it into the system, rather than replacing the existing tank with a larger one.
None of these systems are portable in the sense that the water reuse system can be easily removed from one installation and incorporated into another installation, as a user may desire when moving from one home to another. Reid is portable, being a camper system, and a camper is portable by design, but not in the sense that you could pull his system from one camper and install it in another.
It is also desirable to have unpressurized storage. In the event of tank failure, pressure can be disastrous, squirting gray water all over the place. A pump is desirable, because gravity feed has physical limitations as to where the tank can be located.
In the tanks presented, no consideration is given for aesthetics.
Although each of the cited inventions excel in individual ways, no single one overcomes all of the disadvantages.